How Perth is filling the Knight-sized void

Brandon Knight is still to arrive in Australia, Jaron Rillie is yet to play a game and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr went down with a calf injury on Saturday night. Availability has been a major challenge for the Perth Wildcats, but right now only one thing matters: they're 2-1 and finding a way to get it done.

"We know that's what we have to be right now," coach John Rillie said. "We have to do it by committee."

Saturday night's 97-93 win over the New Zealand Breakers at RAC Arena was the latest example, with Perth overcoming an 11-point deficit after losing Lual-Acuil Jr in the first quarter.

Without a natural facilitator, Perth has leaned on Elijah Pepper, Dylan Windler, Kristian Doolittle and Anthony Dell'Orso to share the load running the offence. It hasn't always been smooth, but it has delivered wins in each of the last two games.

Rillie's instruction is simple: "When you're out there, your position doesn't matter. Just play good basketball, play the right way, and good things will happen."

Windler has embraced it. "Whether it's off the ball, on the ball, mixing it up, just trying to find ways to impact the game," he said.

Against the Breakers, that approach produced Windler's best game of the season, with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Pepper backed up his Thursday night heroics with 25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

When Lual-Acuil Jr went down, Rillie leaned on his leaders.

"The nice thing about our roster is we got experience in the front court," he said. "So then all of a sudden Angus [Brandt] gets an opportunity. [Jesse] Wagstaff did what he did."

What Wagstaff did was turn the game. The 40-year-old captain, playing his 543rd NBL game, scored 10 third-quarter points to swing the momentum Perth's way.

"Wags just knows how to make big plays and big moments for us," Windler said.

At the other end of the roster is 17-year-old Marley Sam. A day after his school graduation, he was thrown in the deep end against Breakers superstar Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

"I would like Marley to read the scouting report and understand that probably taking Parker one-on-one in his first NBL game is a learning for him," Rillie joked. "He'll be better for that experience."

That's the mentality in Perth this season. Anyone on the roster could be called on at any moment, and they have the trust of their coach and teammates when it happens.

"I preach your opportunity comes, you never know when it comes," Rillie said.

Windler believes the Wildcats will be better placed for it as they look to go one better than their Playoff exits of the past two seasons.

"Injuries happen and we got to have guys be willing to step up," he said. "For it to happen early in the season, I think it's good for us, and still be able to take wins on top of that."

NBA veteran Knight is set to arrive in the country next week, while Jaron Rillie is nearing a return.

In the meantime, the Wildcats will sweat on Lual-Acuil Jr's calf ahead of Friday's home clash with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Rillie confirmed the calf injury but said it was too early to know how long he would be out.

"The severity, like until he has his scans and that type of stuff, we won't know," he said.